Knockdown article of furniture.



- P. MORRISON.

KNOGKDOWN ARTIGLB OP FURNITURE.

APgLIoA'HoN FILED oo'r. 2a, 190s.

918,352, Patented Apr. 13, i909.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 1.

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`P. MORRISON. KNOGKDOWN ARTICLE 0F FURNITURE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 23, 1908.

918,352. Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED srarns rafrnnr onirica.,

PUTNAM MORRISON, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

KNOCKDOWN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PUTNAM Monnison, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of I-Iamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knockdown articles of Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to knockdown articles of furniture and the like, such as kitchen safes, wardrobes, bookcases and other similar structures,r and the primary object of the same is to so assemble the several parts or members of the device as to obstruct warping after placement thereof, or if warped when put in place will be straightened by the articular mode of association which will be ereinafter explained.

A further obj ect of the invention is to produce a knoc'kdown article of a strong and durable character and wherein the parts may be incre readily assembled than devices of a like nature as heretofore constructed, the parts being replaceable if injured, destroyed l or lost at a small cost, the several components of the device being specially constructed for shipment in knockdown condition and convenience in assemblage for display or sale purposes and usage.

The present invention consists in improve* ments of the structure disclosed by my Letters Patents No. 894,033, July 2l, 1.908, and No. 906,909, December 15, 1908.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a safe broken away in parts and shown in section and illustrating the features of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the cap or top closure looking toward the under side thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the body of the device over which the cap or top closure is fitted. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through the u per portion of the device.

The numera l designates afront frame having suit able openings for a drawer 2 and doors 3, these openings and the drawer and doors being arranged to suit the taste and convenience of the maker. The particular arrangement of this front frame is not essential and may be varied at will. The front frame includes corner posts 4 which extend the full height of the safe and are projected below the bottom of the latter to provide front legs as disclosed in my patents hereinbefore noted. Cooperating with the front frame l is a back frame 5 of the same dimensions as the front Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23, 1908.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Serial No. 459,231.

l frame and filled with panels 6 and munnions 7 as may be desired and also including corner posts S similar to the posts 4 and projected at their lower extremities below the bottom of the device orsafe toform rearlegs as at 9. All the parts of the front and back frames are preferably united to the )osts 4 and S, and said frames present comp ete organization of their components when ready for service or assemblage with the remaining parts of the device or safe. The front posts 4 of the i frame l and the posts 3 of the frame 5 have grooves 10 formed in their inner faces, as clearly shown by Fig. 3, the said grooves being directly opposite each other and parallel, and run lengthwise of the posts. These posts 4 and 8 are also transversely bored as at l1, see Figs. 1 and 4, the several bores being in alinement in the pairs of posts to removably receive rods 12 arranged at intervals and serving to draw the front and back frames together in assembled relation to the remaining parts of the device or safe and also acting as effective auxiliaries in securing the parts of the safe in practical associated relation.

At regular intervals throughout the vertical. extent of the device or safe, or at different distances apart, as may be desired, shelves 13 the medium of the doors 3 and between the shelves are a plurality of end anels 14 correspending in number to the s ielves, the said panels varying in vertical extent in accordance with the distance between the shelves 13 and between the uppermost shelf and the top of the safe, which uppermost shelf or top consists in the present instance of a cap or top closure l5 of any preferred construction but as shown referably overhanging the upper ends of tie adjacent end panels. The panels 14 slidably engage the grooves 10 in the inner faces of the posts 4 and 8 and practice has demonstrated that the length of these end panels should be equal to the width of the shelves plus the depth of the said grooves 10 to give the best results.

In the present construction of safe which is shown as an illustration of one embodi nient of the invention, the shelves 13 have their ends flush with the outer surfaces of the panels 14 so that in the event that any one of the shelves starts to spring upward or become misshapen in an upward or a downward direction a resistance will be set up by the ends of the panels engaging therewith or bearing against the upper and lower are disposed and rendered accessible through sides of the opposite extremities of each shelf. In other words, the shelves and end panels contribute to prevent warping of the one with respect to the other,'and in performing this function the whole series of shelves and end panels, and in the present construction the cap or top closure also, are united or conjointly act and thus increase the resisting force to irregular position of the parts due to shrinkage or Warpage.

When the correct number of shelves an panels has been placed in position or assemled in coperative relation and the rods 12 inserted through the posts 4 and 8, the operation of tightening and finally clamping the end panels and shelves in place is pursued. l?rior to tightening up the rods 12 the shelves and panels Vare successively disposed in place and in contradistinction to the retention of the said panels and shelves in place solely by the rods 12 as in my previous structures, the cap or top closure 15 in the present improvement constitutes the essential means for holding the panels downwardly in close contact with the shelves, or for exerting on the panels a downward pressure, primarily exerted through the uppermost panels, to maintain the panels and shelves in tight assemblage or so that the ends of the panels will firmly engage the ends of the shelves to hold the latter in true position and also prevent the panels from moving or slip ing out of place after the several parts of t e device or safe are disposed in operative relation. The cap or top closure 15 has a de ending surrounding flange or frame 16 whic snuglyT rits over and embraces the front and back frames and ends of the device or safe, as shown, and is mortised or recessed as at 17 to receive the upper projecting portions of the posts 4 and 8. Front and rear screw threaded fastening-s or bolts 18 depend from the top of the cap or closure 15 and engage angle brackets 19 secured to the inner opposing sides of the posts 4 and 8 within the upper portion of the device or safe, nuts 20 being used in this instance to hold the fastenings or bolts 18 in engagement with the brackets, as clearly shown by F ig. 4. Though this specific form of fastening means is advantageous, it will be understood that any analogous fastening may be employed that has a function to draw the cap or top closure 15 tightly over the upper portion of the device or safe and which fastening may be readily detached or the parts thereof separated so as to carry out the knockdown feature of the complete device. The upper ends of the uppermost panels project slightly above the upper terminals of the posts 4 and 8, as at 2l, and contact directly with the lower surface of the cap or to closure 15, see Fig. 4, and by this means al of the panels have a downward pressure exerted thereon when the cap or top closure 15 is applied and secured by the drawing fastenings 18 engaging the brackets 19. It will be observed that, owing to the positive resistance set up by the cap or top closure when applied and in contact with the upper ends of the uppermost panels, it will be impossible for the panels to move vertically or become displaced and hence the engagement of the ends of the panels with the ends of the shelves will be positive and reliable and at all times uniformly maintained, the tie rods 12 acting as effective auxiliaries in drawing the front and back frames closely together and holding the front and rear vertical edges of the panels in engagement with the grooves 10 in the front and back posts 4 and 8.

A further feature of the improvement consists in applying stop or guard strips 22 over the engaging ends of the panels and shelves. These guard strips are secured to each panel above the lower end of the latter and overhang the adjacent shelf end and a portion of the upper end of the panel next below and completely cover the joint between the panel and shelf ends and prevent sliding movement or horizontal displacement of the shelves. These stops or guards will always remain connected to the panels carrying the same so as to be ready for application with.- out requiring attachment thereof when it is desired to set up the device or safe. The outer surfaces of the stops or guards 22 are flush with the outer surfaces of the end osts 4 and 8 and said stops or guards are a so of such length as to i'it within the outer ortions of said posts, as clearly shown by nigs. l and 3.

As shown by Fig. 1, the lowermost shelf 13 is illustrated as bearing upon the lower pair of tie rods 12 but this construction is not to be understood as the only means that could be employed for serving as the bottom resistance to the lowermost shelf and the series of panels and shelves thereabove. The construction disclosed by my Patent 906,909, hereinbefore referred to, and wherein the lowermost shelf bears at opposite extremities on shoulders carried on the legs extending from the posts, might be used, or any other analogous supporting means might be adopted, it being only essential that sufficient resistance be set up in relation to the lowermost shelf to render it positive as a supporting means for the panels and shelves above under pressure eX- erted by the cap or top closure on the plurality of panels and directly engaging the uppermost pair of panels.

A knockdown safe has been illustrated as embodying the features of the invention, but it is obvious that the same structure might be adopted in other analogous containing shelves, panels interposed between the shelves and engaging the frames, the uppermost panels projecting above the upper edges of the frames transversely extending connecting devices engagin the opposite extremities of the front and ack frames and serving t0 draw the latter toward each other to hold the panels and shelves in place, and a cap or top closure fitted over the upper extremity of the article and bearing on the upper ends of the uppermost panels to exert a downward pressure on all the panels and shelves, the cap or top closure being provided with fastening means to hold the same in secured position.

2. A knoekdown article of furniture comprising front and back frames, shelves, end panels, the uppermost panels projecting above the upper edges of the frames, transversely extending tie devices, the edges of the panels and opposite extremities of the shelves eing held in engaging relation, a top closure contacting with the upper ends of the uppermost panels and exerting a downward pressure on all the panels and shelves, and fastening means for drawing the top closure downwardly against the said uppermost panels and frames, the lowermost shelf actin' as a resisting supporting means for the panels and shelves thereabove.

3. A knockdown article of furniture comprising front and back frames, shelves, end panels, the uppermost panels projecting above the upper edges of the front and back frames, transversely extending tie devices, the edges of the panels and opposite extremities of the shelves being held in engaging relation, and a top closure fitted over the upper end of the article and engaging the upper ends of the uppermost panels and provided with drawing fastening devices pro'ecting from the lower side of the closure an operative within the article to set up a downward pressure on the panels and shelves.

4. A knockdown article of furniture comprising front and back frame members, shelves, end panels having guard strips attached to the outer sides of their lower extremities, the upper and lower edges of adj acent panels bearing against opposite sides of the extremities of theishelves and the guard strips looselyT overhanging and covering the joints between the ends of the panels and the shelves between the front and back frame members and independent of the latter, and means for holding the frames, shelves, and panels in assembled relation, the guard strips eing simultaneously applicable and movable with the panels.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PUTNAM MORRISON. vWitnesses:

ROBT. MORRISON, F. R. FOSTER. 

